Eyewash fountains are typically used in industrial and laboratory environments to provide emergency flushing of human eyes after exposure to fumes, liquids or airborne debris that may be injurious to the eyes. Many of these devices require that an affected individual locate and rotate the spray heads over the sink or drain, then locate and turn on a valve to initiate a flow of rinsing water, and then modulate the valve to provide a stream of water at a desirable pressure and in an appropriate volume. This may be difficult, or even impossible to carry out if the individual's sight is impaired. In response to this problem, spray heads that swivel laterally, or lower vertically, from a stored position to a operative position and automatically initiate a flow of rinsing fluid when in the operative position have been proposed. However, heretofore, such moveable spray heads have either been freely rotatable about a 360.degree. arc, or moveable through a limited are in an nonmodifiable single direction. That is, the spray heads could move from a stored position through a limited are in a counterclockwise direction to an operative position, or alternatively in a clockwise direction from stored to operative positions, but could not be selectively altered to do both. That meant, that separate constructions were required when mounting the spray heads on the left side and right side of a sink or basin.
In order to provide an adequate volume of water at a relatively low pressure, various "soft-spray" heads have been proposed. One practice is to place a foam material inside of a spray head to soften the flow and trap debris, as shown U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,146, issued Dec. 14, 1982 to John R. Liautaud. Other proposed solutions to this problem include aerating the water emitted through the spray head or using loose balls in a flow chamber to agitate and modify the water flow prior to exit through the tip of the nozzle. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,315, issued May 7, 1974 to Allen C. Wright discloses a nozzle structure for a eyewash spray head that has a conical chamber integrally formed within the nozzle, and four circular ports which direct water from the conical chamber to a single enlarged opening through which water is discharged directly to the eyes.
Emergency eyewash fountains, by the very nature of their intended use, often may go for several months, or longer, without use. This infrequent use permits rust, corrosion, bacteria and other undesirable materials to accumulate in the spray heads and supply lines. It is therefore desirable that the interior of the spray heads be easily cleanable. The above described proposed solutions to providing a soft spray generally are difficult to clean and service. For example, the foam products may trap bacteria and can deteriorate, causing small pieces of the foam debris-laden to be carried by the rinse fluid into the eyes being treated. The integrally formed conical chamber in the nozzle structure proposed by Wright is not only difficult to clean, but since it discharges the wash stream through a single large opening, debris in the nozzle and supply lines can be readily injected directly into the eyes.
It has also been proposed that covers be placed over the heads of the spray nozzles to prevent dust and other airborne debris from settling in the nozzle during periods of nonuse. For example, Guardian Industries produces a wash fountain having a positionally fixed, water-activated, flat plate cover over each nozzle that protects the nozzle from failing debris but does not provide a seal against the intrusion of blowing dust or other airborne debris.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above. It is desirable that an emergency eyewash fountain be readily useable, i.e., it does not require the reading of detailed operating instructions, or turning and manually modulating flow control valves, to initiate a flow of rinse water. It is also desirable to have an emergency eyewash fountain system wherein the spray system is selectively mountable on either the right or left side of a sink, and the spray heads moveable through a limited arc to a position over the sink. Furthermore, is desirable to have an emergency eyewash fountain that provides a soft, clean, and generous spray of rinse fluid at a uniform pre controlled rate. Also, it is desirable to have an emergency eyewash fountain that is easy to service, clean and maintain over potentially long periods of nonuse and has a separately removable protective cover that automatically opens in response to a flow of water from spray head.